Construction for water softener



April 1966 N. c. STILWELL 3,244,197

CONSTRUCTION FOR WATER SOFTENER Filed Aug. 23, 1965 Fr: i

2.5 26 I Z9 Z6 12 I i *-14 I l l J in 7 i 19 if? INVENTOR. 16 92 jl/s Z afizglwgt United States Patent 3,244,197 CONSTRUCTION FQR WATER SOFTENER Neil C. Stilwell, P.0. Box 752, Kokomo, Ind. Filed Aug. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 304,063 8 Claims. (Cl. 137592) This invention relates generally to water softeners, and more specifically to the provision therein of a slip joint between a fluid distributor-collector and an internal that the liner have no more than two openings, one for the inlet and one for the outlet, and that each opening be as small as possible. A single larger opening becomes disadvantageous in that the water within the liner is thus exposed to other structure employed to close the remainder of the opening. ,In such a structure, it is desirable that there be provided a distributor-collector re- 'm,0tely from such openings, but within the plastic liner.

Dilficulties have been encountered in the past in obtaining all of these features in combination. For instance, where the distributor-collector is to be installed after assembly of the liner in the tank, some difficulty may be expected due to interfering fits. Further, it is not always practicable to assemble a distributor-collector into a liner during the construction of the liner prior to its assembly with the tank.

' I have found that by the provision of a slip joint be tween the distributor-collector and the pipe to which it is connected, assembly thereof may be effected in a facile manner, even though the liner is imperforate except for the inlet and outlet apertures.

, Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved water treating apparatus.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a water treating apparatus which incorporates a slip joint between a distributor-collector and an internal pipe.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide ifitting structure which enables the introduction and assembly of a distributor-collector in a facile manner.

Many other advantages, features and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheet of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

On the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a water treating apparatus provided in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIII of FIGURE 1, the structure being partially broken away to facilitate illustration.

As shown on the drawings:

The principles of this invention are particularly useful when embodied in a water treating apparatus or water is flexible, and resilient.

3,244,197 Patented Apr. 5, 1966 softener such as illustrated in FIGURE 1, generally indicated by the numeral 10. The apparatus 10 includes a tank 11 having a plastic liner 12, the tank 11 and the liner 12 each being apertured at the upper end thereof and being jointly provided with a fitting assembly generally indicated at 13. To the fitting assembly 13 there is connected an elongated pipe 14, while at the lower end of the tank 11 within the liner 12, there is provided an elongated fluid distributor-collector 15. A fluid connection 16 joins the distributor-collector 15 to the pipe 14 both mechanically and fluidly.

The tank 11 is provided with an opening 17 at its upper end which has an oval shape through which the fitting assembly 13 extends operatively. The tank 11 at its lower end is provided with a hand-hole 18 which may be of identical configuration. The hand-hole 18 is closed by removable cover means 19 which overlies the hole 18 and supports the liner 12. A stud 29 is secured to the cover means 19 and extends through a cross-bar 21 which engages the outer lower surface of the tank 11 in response to tightening of a wing nut 22 which thereby holds the cover means 19 in hole closing position. Note that this structure does not need to provide any fluid seal. The hand-hole 18 is provided to enable access to the lower end of the liner 12 as explained later herein.

The liner 12 comprises vinyl plastic, and as such, it The liner is constructed so that it has no opening therein except for at least one fitting aperture 23 which receives a rubber grommet 24. In this embodiment, a further identical fitting aperture 25 receives a rubber grommet 26. Thus the apertures 23 and 25 comprise the sole openings in the liner 12. The apertures 23 and 25 underlie the oval opening 17 and are aligned therewith, and are each disposed eccentrically to the central axis of the tank 11. As such, each of the round fitting apertures 23, 25 is somewhat smaller than the oval opening 17. The liner 12 is installed through one of the oval openings 17, 18 after it is fabricated.

The fitting assembly 13 includes a pair of rigid tubular portions 27, 28 which are joined together by a stiffened web 29 to make a unitary member thereof. Such unitary memberis inserted through one of the round openings 23, 25, and then manipulated Within the liner 12 so that the tubular portions 27 and 28 respectively project from the inside of the liner 12 through the apertures 23, 25 to the outside of the liner 12. Although the grommets 24, 26 may be carried on the unitary member 27-29 as it is passed through one of the apertures 23, 25, it may be preferable to pass such unitary member through the round aperture first, and then install the grommets 24, 26 in the apertures 23, 25, and thereafter manipulate the tubular portions 27, 28 into the central opening of the grommets 24, 26. To facilitate the foregoing, manual access may be had through either of the oval openings 17, 18, even though only the outside of the liner 12 can be grasped directly. Thereafter, an oval shaped cover plate 30 is installed, such plate having a pair of apertures receptive of the tubular portions 27, 28, the plate 30 being disposed underneath the edge which defines the oval opening 17, and thus within the tank 11. The plate 30 is provided with anupstanding stud 31 which passes through I a cross-bar 32 which spans the oval opening 17 and engages the outer surface of the upper end of the tank 11, such element being held in assembled relation by a wing nut 33. Thus elements comprising the fitting assembly 13 are receivable through the oval opening 17 to close it from the interior. The fitting assembly 13 further is disposed thus partially within the liner 12 and forms a fluid seal therewith.

The tubular portions 27 and 28 are each rigid, and are preferably internally threaded to receive a pair of fittings 34, 35 for attaching the apparatus to appropriate plumbing. These fittings comprise the inlet and the outlet of the device, and during back-flow, respectively comprise the outlet and inlet. Thus flow may be in either direction through either fitting. The fitting 34 has an internal socket which slidably receives the elongated pipe 14 which is secured thereto by any convenient manner, such as by solvent cement. The upper end of the pipe 14 thus comprises the supported end which is supported by the fitting assembly 13 as described. The pipe 14, in response to rotation of the fitting 34, is externally rotatable and may be installed from the outside so that it communicates fluidly through the fitting assembly 13, while extending into the tank to a point near the bottom thereof. By such fitting 34, the pipe 14 is threaded into the tubular portion 27, and extends therefrom eccentrically to the central tank axis.

The fluid distributor-collector 15 preferably comprises plastic closed at its distal end, and is provided with a series of inlet or outlet slots 36 along the length thereof. The other end of the distributor-collector 15 is received in a socket in the fluid connection means 16 and is secured thereto, such as by solvent cement. The fluid distributor-collector is elongated and extends transversely to the free end 37 of the pipe 14. The length of the distributor-collector from the closed end thereof to the central axis of the pipe 14 is greater than the nearest distance from the axis of the lower end 37 of the pipe 14 to the adjacent wall of the liner 12 or tank 11. In this embodiment, such distributor-collector length also exceeds the radius of the tank 11.

The fluid connector 16 secured to the fluid distributorcollector 15 has a transverse dimension or diameter which is greater than the internal diameter of the tubular portion 27. It is therefore necessary that the distributorcollector member with the fluid connector 16 be passed through the round opening or aperture 23 before the tubular portion 27 is finally received therein. Ordinarily, the diameter of the opening 23 will be less than such transverse dimension of the fluid connector 16. However, the liner 12 comprises resilient material which will yield to allow such unit to pass therein, and will thereafter resume its initial size.

The fluid connection means 16 includes a slip joint between the unsupported free inner end 37 of the pipe 14 and the connector 16. To this end, the free inner end 37 of the pipe 14 is provided with a smooth cylindrical outer surface 38, while the connector 16 is provided with an upwardly directed cylindrical recess 39 which is frictionally receptive of the lower end 37 of the pipe 14. In this embodiment, the recess 39 is provided with an O-ring 40 which is employed to provide friction in the slip joint. Any leakage across the O-ring 40 is of no account. The free end 37 thus supports the fluid-distributor 15 at a point eccentric to the central axis of the tank 11.

Preferably the length of the interengagement between the lower end 37 of the pipe 14 and the fluid connector 16 is such that even if the latter tended to fall 011 the former, the latter would be supported by the bottom of the tank prior to and precluding actual disengagement.

To assemble the slip joint 38, 39, the hand-hole 18 is opened and the distributor-collector is grasped manually, such as by hand, such grasping actually being of the liner 12, deflecting a portion of it about the distributorcollector 15. Thus the distributor-collector 15 may be held with the recess 39 aligned with the axis of the tubular portion 27 so that when the pipe 14 is inserted through the tubular portion 27, the free end 37 thereof may be simultaneously inserted in the recess 39. The slip joint 33, 39 thus enables the fitting 34 to be rotated by any amount and to be displaced such axial distance as may be required by the tapered threads thereof to secure a tight fit at the upper end without encountering any obstruction to either axial movement or to angular movement from the distributor-collector 15. And not only may the pipe 14 be selectively rotated with respect to the connector 16 as just described, but after the fitting 34 has been seated, the distributor-collector 15 may be freely rotated about the axis of the lower end 37 of the pipe 14 to any desired position adjacent to the bottom of the tank 11.

Although the distributor-collector is supported by the pipe 14, such support may be augmented if desired in any other manner, such as in that described. However, the lower end 3'7 of the pipe 14 must not encounter obstruction to angular or axial movement to ensure proper sealing of the fitting 34, and to ensure against unsealing thereof in response to any subsequent repositioning of the distributor-collector 15.

Although various minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such embodiments as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. Water treating apparatus, comprising:

(a) a tank having an oval opening;

(b) a flexible resilient plastic liner in said tank, said liner being imperforate except for at least one fiting aperture aligned with and adjacent to said oval opening;

(c) a fitting assembly closing said oval tank opening and partially disposed within said liner, forming a fluid seal with said liner, and having a rigid tubular portion extending through each of the fitting apertures in said liner;

(d) an elongated fluid distributor-collector having a transverse dimension greater than the inside diameter of each said rigid tubular portion of said fitting assembly;

(e) an elongated pipe threaded into said tubular portion and extending into said tank liner; and

(f) a slip joint between said pipe and said distributorcollector enabling said pipe to be assembled with said tubular portion while rotating relatively to said distributor-collector.

2. Water treating apparatus, comprising:

(a) a tank having an oval opening;

(b) a flexible resilient plastic liner in said tank, said liner being imperforate except for at least one fitting aperture aligned with and adjacent to said oval opening, each said fitting aperture being eccentric to the center axis of said tank;

(c) a fitting assembly closing said oval tank opening and partially disposed within said liner, forming a fluid seal with said liner, and having a rigid tubular portion extending through each of the fitting apertures in said liner;

((1) an elongated pipe threaded into said tubular portion and extending into said tank liner and eccentrically to the center axis of said tank;

(e) an elongated fluid distributor-collector having a transverse dimension greater than the inside diameter of each said rigid tubular portion of said fitting assembly, and a length greater than the nearest distance from the inner end of said pipe to the tank; and

(f) a slip joint between said pipe and said distributorcollector enabling said pipe to be assembled with said tubular portion while rotating relatively to said distributor-collector.

3(Water treating apparatus, comprising:

(a) a tank having an oval opening;

(b) a flexible resilient plastic liner in said tank, said liner being imperforate except for at least one fiting aperture aligned with and adjacent to said oval opening;

(c) a fitting assembly closing said oval tank opening and partially disposed within said liner, forming a fluid seal with said liner, and having a rigid tubular portion extending through each of the fitting apertures in said liner;

(d) an elongated fluid distributor-collector having a transverse dimension greater than the inside diameter of each said rigid tubular portion of said fitting assembly, said distributor-collector having a length greater than the length of the radius of said tank;

(e) an elongated pipe threaded into said tubular portion and extending into said tank liner; and

(f) a slip joint between said pipe and said distributorcollector enabling said pipe to be assembled with said tubular portion while rotating relatively to said distributor-collector.

4. Water treating apparatus, comprising:

(a) a tank having an oval opening;

(b) a flexible resilient plastic liner in said tank, said liner closing said opening and being imperforate except for having at least one round fitting aperture somewhat smaller than said oval opening and aligned therewith;

(c) a fitting assembly closing said oval tank opening and partially disposed within said liner, forming a fluid seal with said liner, and having a rigid tubular portion extending from within said liner through each of the fitting apertures in said liner and outwardly thereof;

(d) an elongated fluid distributor-collector having a transverse dimension greater than the inside diameter of each said rigid tubular portion of said fitting assembly;

(e) an elongated pipe threaded into said tubular portion and extending said tank liner; and

(f) a slip joint between said pipe and said distributorcollector enabling said pipe'to be assembled with said tubular portion while rotating relatively to said distributor-collector.

5. Water treating apparatus, comprising:

(a) a tank having an oval opening at one end and a hand-hole at the opposite end;

(b) removable cover means normally closing said hand-hole;

(c) a flexible resilient plastic liner in said tank, said liner being imperforate except for at least one fitting aperture aligned with and adjacent to said oval opening;

(d) a fitting assembly closing said oval tank opening and partially disposed within said liner, forming a fluid seal with said liner, and having a rigid tubular portion extending through each of the fitting apertures in said liner;

(e) an elongated fluid distributor-collector having a transverse dimension greater than the inside diameter of each said rigid tubular portion of said fitting assembly;

(f) an elongated pipe threaded into said tubular portion and extending into said tank liner; and

(g) a slip joint between said pipe and said distributorcollector enabling said pipe to be assembled with said tubular portion while rotating relatively to said distributor-collector.

6. Water treating apparatus, comprising:

(a) a tank having an oval opening at one end and a hand-hole at the opposite end;

(b) removable cover means normally closing said hand-hole,

(if) an elongated pipe threaded into said tubular por-- tion, and having a lower end extending into said tank liner, said lower end having a smooth cylindrical outer surface; and

(g) means in said distributor-collector defining an upwardly directed cylindrical recess fric-tionally receptive of said lower end and defining a slip joint between said pipe and said distributor-collector enabling said pipe to be assembled with said tubular portion While rotating relatively to said distributorcollector and while said distributor-collector is manually grasped and aligned by the holding of an adjacent imperforate portion of said liner through said hand-hole.

7. Water treating apparatus, comprising:

(a) atank having an oval opening at one end and a hand-hole at the opposite end;

(b) removable cover means normally closing said hand-hole;

(c) a flexible resilient plastic liner in said tank, said liner closing said opening and being imperforate except for having at least one round fitting aperture somewhat smaller than said oval opening and aligned with and adjacent to said oval opening, each said fitting aperture being eccentric to the center axis of said tank;

(d) a fitting assembly receivable through and closing said oval tank opening and partially disposed within said liner, forming a fluid seal with said liner, and having a rigid tubular portion extending from within said liner through each of the fitting apertures in said liner and outwardly thereof;

(e) an elongated pipe threaded into said tubular portion and extending into said tank liner eccentrically to the center axis of said tank, said pipe having a lower end with a smooth cylidrical outer surface;

(f) an elongated fluid distributor-collector having a transverse dimension greater than the inside diameter of each said rigid tubular portion of said fitting assembly, and extending transversely to the free end of said pipe for a distance greater than the length of the radius of said tank; and

(g) means in said distributor-collector defining an upwardly directed cylindrical recess frictionally receptive of said lower end and defining a slip joint between said pipe and said distributor-collector enabling said pipe to be assembled with said tubular portion while rotating relatively to said distributorcollector and while said distributor-collector is manually grasped and aligned -by the holding of an adjacent imperforate portion of said liner through said hand-hole.

8. Water treating apparatus, comprising:

(a) a tank having an oval opening;

(b) a flexible resilient plastic liner in said tank, said liner having at least one fitting aperture aligned with and adjacent to said oval opening;

(c) a fitting assembly closing said oval tank opening and partially disposed within said liner, forming a fluid seal with said liner, and having a rigid tubular portion extending through said fitting aperture in said liner;

(d) an elongated pipe secured to said tubular portion of said fitting assembly and having fiuid'communication th-erethrougli, said pipe extending into said tank liner;

(e) an elongated fluid distributor-collector, receivable through said liner aperture, and normally extending transversely to said pipe at the unsupported end thereof; and

(f) a fluid connection between said unsupported end and said distributor-collector, said connection including a slip joint enabling relative rotation of said distributor-collector about the central axis of said unsupported end.

References Cited by the Examiner 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,309,916 2/1943 Palmer 210279 X 2,627,503 2/1953 Anderson 210'289 X 10 M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. WATER TREATING APPARATUS, COMPRISING: (A) A TANK HAVING AN OVAL OPENING; (B) A FLEXIBLE RESILIENT PLASTIC LINER IN SAID TANK, SAID LINER BEING IMPERFORATE EXCEPT FOR AT LEAST ONE FITING APERTURE ALIGNED WITH AND ADJACENT TO SAID OVAL OPENING; (C) A FITTING ASSEMBLY CLOSING SAID OVAL TANK OPENING AND PARTIALLY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID LINER, FORMING A FLUID SEAL WITH SAID LINER, AND HAVING A RIGID TUBULAR PORTION EXTENDING THROUGH EACH OF THE FITTING APERTURES IN SAID LINER; (D) AN ELONGATED FLUID DISTRIBUTOR-COLLECTOR HAVING A TRANSVERSE DIMENSION GREATER THAN THE INSIDE DIAMETER OF EACH SAID RIGID TUBULAR PORTION OF SAID FITTING ASSEMBLY; 